Road to Revival

Just as Tao Tang and Sheng Guangyun were having a meal and chatting at a small restaurant outside the factory, Liu Xinjun knocked on Lü Qi's door.

Lü Qi was eating, discussing today's financial balancing meeting with Fan Yongcheng. When work was stressful, Lü Qi would talk to her husband, Fan, as he was her husband, and she could seek stress relief without reservation. Even if Fan's ideas were seriously unreliable, talking about them would significantly reduce her pressure. Of course, she was still mindful of boundaries, knowing Fan's tendency to avoid discussing disputes between high-ranking leaders.

Today she said she might have offended Liu Xinjun. "I was rather foolish. You know, I don't manage projects, so why did I bring up projects? Old Liu's face was extremely ugly at the time. He'll probably hold me responsible for this."

Fan Yongcheng liked this kind of topic. He tilted his head and thought for a moment, "You really shouldn't have said that. There's still President Luo above you... Does President Tao really not like Liu Xinjun? That would be an opportunity for you... I don't think you need to worry. Liu Xinjun wouldn't dare to make things difficult for you."

"Why? You can't afford to offend your boss. You said it yourself."

"Because you have a powerful backer now, because you and Tao Tang are classmates. Everyone knows about your relationship with President Tao, right? He's not stupid... Actually, Assistant Liu is very capable; I think he's quite competent."

"Sigh, it's all my own fault. I should find a chance to explain to them tomorrow," Lü Qi sighed.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Fan Yongcheng checked the access control system, then turned to Lü Qi and said, "Red Star Ground is cursed; whoever you call will arrive. Your boss is here."

"Assistant Liu?"

"You can't let go, and neither can they," Fan Yongcheng said with a grin. "Well, I told you so, didn't I? Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to our door."

As they were talking, Liu Xinjun came up.

"Did I disturb your meal?"

"No, no," Lü Qi stood up to greet him, noticing Liu Xinjun carrying a paper bag. "Please sit down, I've already finished eating. Lao Fan, bring me your cigarettes."

"This is a Type 99 tank model that a friend gave me. Boys all like military equipment, so it's for your son to play with," Liu Xinjun said, placing the gift on the coffee table. "Director Lü, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you. The office is always too chaotic... I hope I'm not bothering you?"

"No problem, really no problem." Lü Qi was busy making tea for her boss.

Fan Yongcheng took out a cigarette, tore open the packaging, and offered one to Liu Xinjun. "Hey, Assistant Liu, I have to go out for a bit. You two talk business."

"Old Fan, don't avoid it. It's really okay, it's just a few words."

"I have a card game tonight, and I always play a couple of rounds when I'm not busy, just to kill time. They're waiting—they've already called. It's rare for the boss to come and personally give her some pointers on her work, to give her a good scolding. It's like he's backing me up. Haha, I'm leaving now, you two can talk it over." Old Fan cupped his hands in a salute to Liu Xinjun and left.

Fan Yongcheng wasn't entirely lying; barring unforeseen circumstances, he played cards for about three hours every night. The only lie was about the phone call—no call actually came in.

When he returned at ten o'clock, Lü Qi was already in bed, leaning against the headboard reading the "Literature and History Knowledge" magazine, which she had subscribed to for many years.

"Old Liu's gone." Fan Yongcheng found a change of underwear and prepared to take a shower.

"You're such a terrible person. How could you leave me all alone? Besides, don't you think it's rude of you?" Lü Qi said, looking displeased.

"It would be impolite for me to stay. Liu Xinjun must have been talking to you about General Manager Tao. If I stay, he won't be able to say anything... Am I right? What, did the meeting not go well?"

Lü Qi didn't say anything, put down the magazine, and lay down.

"Hey, what did you talk about that's making you so upset?"

"We didn't talk about anything... I brought up a problem with the project today, which upset him."

"He probably has to put up with it now, even if he's unhappy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to our house in the first place." Fan Yongcheng sat down on the edge of the bed. "However, it's definitely inappropriate for you to bring up projects. There's been a rumor in the factory that the purchasing department is nothing compared to the machinery department. Liu Xinjun was promoted to assistant only because he got on Song Yue's good side. The reason Song Yue appreciates Liu Xinjun is because Liu Xinjun has been patronizing Ren Dao's business..."

"Where did you hear all this news from?" Lü Qi sat up again.

"The mahjong parlor is like a radio station; they broadcast all sorts of news. Even news about you."

"Me? What news do I have?"

People say you're about to become rich.

"Who is spreading this nonsense?" Lü Qi was displeased.

"It's not exactly nonsense. That's just how Hongxing is; they have absolutely no secrets. They had a meeting this afternoon, and by evening the news was circulating like wildfire, with people even more detailed than the attendees themselves. They're saying that Tao Tang came alone, so he'll definitely promote a bunch of people. Right now, only relatives and friends can be relied on, but relatives aren't very reliable, so only classmates can be used, and among classmates, only Han Ruilin and you are left... That's why Han Ruilin got away scot-free after his scandal, while your position is more important than Han Ruilin's. If they don't use you, who will they use?"

"Forget it... I don't have that ability..." Lu Qi sighed deeply, recalling the financial balancing meeting that afternoon.

"What is ability? If your boss uses you, you have ability. If your boss doesn't, you're nothing. For you, this is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."

"What good opportunity? I don't see it."

"Liu Xinjun is considered one of the most capable assistants. He excelled as the branch factory manager and the quality control center director. He would also be capable of managing the Development Planning Department, which is considered the company's top department, at least better than his predecessor. But I'm afraid he's really in trouble. There have been constant rumors about him these past two years, and I don't believe you haven't heard them. His son drives a Lexus around the residential area every week, which is very conspicuous. I checked, and that car costs at least 700,000 to 800,000 yuan. He said it was bought by his future in-laws, but who believes that? Why would he explain if he had nothing to hide? He's too close to Song Yue. Everyone knows about Song Yue's relationship with the Ren family. How many projects has the Ren family secured in the factory these past few years? They've overreached! They've practically monopolized every minor repair. It's hard to say that Liu Xinjun didn't benefit from it. Now everyone is guessing who will be next... In my opinion, it'll most likely be someone from Luo Chong's department... If, if Liu Xinjun falls, President Tao will definitely use you."

"I can't do it!" Lü Qi said without hesitation. "Do you think the chair of the head of the Development and Planning Department is so easy to sit in? Do you think coordinating between various units is so easy?"

"What can't we do? Like I said, as long as the leader trusts us, there's no mountain we can't cross," Fan Yongcheng laughed. "Let's not talk about power and shady income. You just said it yourself, the Development and Planning Department bears the heavy responsibility of coordination, and the head usually holds the title of assistant or deputy chief engineer. You're in charge of that, so you know the situation best. Your income should at least double, right? That's all legal, reasonable, and clean. After a few years, Fan Yue will have enough money to go to school and start a family."

"Hey Lao Fan, you're the head of the family, don't forget your responsibilities."

"If I had a classmate who was in charge, I wouldn't need you. You could go home and rest." Fan Yongcheng said without any offense.

"Comrade Fan, this is what I'm most dissatisfied with about you. What do you mean by having a classmate with a powerful backer? Does that mean you can't achieve anything without someone helping you from above? Who did you rely on to become a section chief? And who did I rely on to become a deputy director?"

"Don't disbelieve me. It wasn't difficult for me to become a section chief; I just needed to be better than the average person. It's relatively easy for you to become a deputy director as well; you just need to be better than the section chiefs. But getting promoted to the full director level is difficult, especially in a key department like your Development and Planning Department. Besides ability, you must gain the trust of the leadership; the latter is the most crucial. I never doubt your professional competence; in my opinion, among the three deputy directors in the Development and Planning Department, you have the strongest professional competence. But if it weren't for Director Tao's arrival, you would never have sat in Liu Xinjun's chair. Why? Because you wouldn't have gained the leadership's trust. But now it's different. Tao Tang has removed Liu Xinjun; nine times out of ten, he will promote you."

"Even if you're right, Liu Xinjun has to give up his chair first."

"You're right. Now it's up to Tao Tang to decide what to do..."

"Old Fan, I really should find an opportunity to recommend you to Tao Tang, either to the Policy Research Office or the Organization Department. Who knows, you might achieve great things. Old Fan, what do you mean by 'how Tao Tang should seize this opportunity'?"

"Of course, it's about the attitude towards corruption... There are advantages and disadvantages to digging deep. Corruption is never isolated; even the top leader cannot accomplish it alone. It can easily affect a large number of people. I think President Tao is probably using this to control his deputies. Holding back is the most lethal approach; once the arrow is shot, its power is actually weakened."

"Stop talking nonsense. Do you think Liu Xinjun is finished?" Although Lü Qi didn't mention any problems with the project, she was involved and knew the situation much better than Fan Yongcheng.

"Liu Xinjun's problem is by no means isolated. There's at least Luo Chong above him. If Tao Tang removes Liu Xinjun, he will inevitably bring Luo Chong out with him. And bringing Luo Chong out is beyond his control. Even if headquarters supports him, they wouldn't want a catastrophic upheaval in the Red Star leadership, would they? If you put yourself in Tao Tang's shoes, you'll understand... By the way, what issues did Liu Xinjun discuss with you today?"

"He mainly talked about project management and vented his frustrations; the misappropriation of project funds was really not his problem."

"You only mentioned the projects?"

"Yes."

"So he wants you to pass on a message to General Manager Tao. He probably feels that reporting it himself wouldn't be effective. In any case, he definitely senses danger... What are you going to do?"

"What can I do? Is it appropriate for me to go through Tao Tang to report, especially with Duan Hui in between?" In fact, Liu Xinjun talked to her about much more than that. As far as the art of conversation was concerned, she deeply admired Liu Xinjun. He maintained the dignity of a superior while expressing everything he wanted to say... Lao Fan's analysis was quite correct. Liu Xinjun did hope that she would say a few good words for him in front of Tao Tang, and that it would be before his work report.

"Don't talk about me... I've never bothered with personnel issues. But you, why don't you put your mind to achieving some results in quality management? Tao Tang mentioned quality assessment in this afternoon's meeting, saying your assessment is simply unreliable. Lao Fan, this is serious business. With such high quality losses every year, there are plenty of opportunities for you to shine."

"Who do I think I am? General Manager Jiang is just a pushover; he can't even crush an ant. Don't you know what kind of person Chen Yongliang is? The Quality Department has no authority whatsoever. The branch factory managers, like Tong Zhengjie and Chen Jianping, don't listen to him at all. How dare he issue a penalty? How can a section chief like me change the current situation in the Quality Department?"

"You're always like this! Just you wait, Tao Tang will definitely focus on quality, and you'll be in a very passive position."

"It's Chen Yongliang who's passive, what does it have to do with me?"

It's always like this. Lü Qi didn't want to talk about it anymore. A person's life depends on their character, and character really does determine destiny. Old Fan knows everything; facts have proven that he's very accurate in many matters. But when it comes to himself, he can't do anything. "Forget it, I'm going to sleep. Didn't you want to take a shower? Get lost."

Just then, Fan Yue returned from his evening self-study session, and the couple ended their conversation.